Phthalocyanine pigments



United States Patent PHTHALOCYANINE PIGMENTS Alfred Siege], Summit, N. J., assignor to E. I. du Pont de Nernours and Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application November 12, 1953 Serial No. 391,767

4 Claims. 01. 106-288 This invention relates to new phthalocyanine pigments, processes for preparing them and coating compositions containing the same. More particularly, it'relates to the production of phthalocyanine pigments which are resistant to flocculation when dispersed in an organic coating composition.

Phthalocyanine pigments are well knownfor their outstanding tinctorial strength and resistance to light .and chemical agents. Such pigments are alsoknown to have a serious defect commonly referred to as flocculation, a

' characteristic evidenced by an apparent aggregation of pigment particles during setting and drying of organic coating compositions containing the same, resulting in marked reduction of color strength. What actually happens in the paint film and whether theword flocculation is correctly used to describe it are subjects which have been disputed. The important point, however, is that the enamel, paint or lacquer when standing in 'a quiescent state exhibits a different color than when it is being vigorously agitated and, therefore, cannot be depended upon to give reproducible color in actual use under a variety of conditions of application. Q

' The reversibility of the phenomenon may, moreove be used, as a test for -flocculation. One may, for instance, make a typical enamel containing about parts of phthalocyanine and 90 parts of TD; dispersed in an oil-modified alkyd resin and this enamel may be applied to a test panel by sprayinginthe conventional manner. When the film has become tacky, usually in three to five minutes, a portion of the panel is rubbed with a'soft cloth or with the finger. A ditference in color of the rubbed portion as compared to the undisturbed film is considered evidence of flocculation. With untreated prior art phthalocyanines this rubbed portion of the film appears darker or stronger than the'unrubbed portion. This test might be considered typical of the behavior of a brushing V enamel which shows seriousbrush marks when a partially dried portion is brushed over as in joining with a previously brushed portion. 1

Another test more particularly applicable to compositions which dry very rapidly and largely by evaporation of the solvent, such as a typical nitro-cellulose lacquer, but also applicable to enamels, especially those formulated for application by dipping, involves spraying a test panel and allowing it to dry, after which 'a'portion of the same composition which has been standing undisturbed ispoured over the test panel and allowed'to drain freely. Again, a diflierence in color is evidence of flocculation and with the typical prior art phthalocyanine the poured portion appears light or weak vs. the sprayed portion. This test illustrates the problem encountered in "attempting to match the color of a dipped auto tender,

for instance, with that of the sprayed auto body.

Numerous attempts have been made to eliminate the defect of flocculation of phthalocyanine pigments, for example, the addition of aluminum benzoate, or phthalocyanine monosulfonic acid to the phthalocyanine pigments subject to flocculation.

f 2,861,005 1C6 Patented Nov. 18', 1958 3-5%, which is appreciably less than one atom of chlo-' rine per molecule of phthalocyanine. Such chlorine-containing pigments are not significantly altered in shade and are substantially free from the tendency to grow crystals in solvents. Chlorine is also sometimes introduced in larger amounts to alter the hue toward green. Throughout the specification and claims, reference to copper phthalocyanine is intended to include chlorine-containing copper phthalocyanine.

It is an object of this invention to 'produce phthalocyanine pigments which are highly resistant to flocculation in organic vehicle coating compositions. It is another object of this invention to provide an improved process for the production of phthalocyanine pigments. It is still another object of the' invention to produce improved coating compositions containing these new and improved phthalocyanine pigments. Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The objects of this invention are attained by preparing new phthalocyanine pigments comprising mixtures of a major amount of a phthalocyanine pigment subject to flocculation with a minoramount of substituted phthalocyanine in which the substituent is sulfonamide wherein X represents hydrogen, alkyl, aryl and substituted alkyl and aryl radicals, under such conditions that not exceeding about 15% of the molecules of phthalocyanine can contain the substituent group.

The new mixed pigments of this invention are highly resistant to flocculation in organic coating compositions; they exhibit the tinctorial properties of unmodified phthalocyanine pigments with a very minor effect from the addition of the polar group; and they exhibit the excellent light-fastness and resistance to chemical attack characteristic of phthalocyanine pigments.

The following examples illustrate, in detail, several processes for the production of the new pigments and coating compositions of this invention.

Example I The following ingredients are charged to a Well agitated reactor equipped for external heating and fitted with an air-cooled reflux condenser:

800 ml. deodorized kerosene.

The mixture is heated with good agitation to 195 C. over a period of two and one-half to three hours and held at a temperature of 195 200 C. for four hours. The mixture is then cooled to about C. and the solid pigment is filtered from the kerosene. The filter cake is charged to suitable vessel for steam distillation, suflicient water added to give a stirrable slurry and the residual kerosene removed by steam distillation under Vigorous agitation. The pigment is finally separated from the aqueous slurry by filtering, washing and drying at about 100 C.

The resulting drypigment may be further conditioned for use by the milling process'of Lane and Stratton'U; S. Patent No. 2,556,727. For instance, 65 grams of the crude pigment and 500 ml. of acetone may be charged to a ball mill of about /3 gallon capacity containing 4800 grams of steel shot and the mill rotated for about three days. After separation from the grinding balls, the acetone is removed bysteam distillation, and the resulting aqueous pigment slurry is further purified by heating under acid conditions followed by filtration, washing free of soluble salts and drying.

The resulting blue pigment which contains about 10 mol percent of a copper phthalocyanine pigment in which one benzene ring is substituted in the 4-position with the group -SO N(C H exhibits high tinctorial strength and excellent resistance to flocculation when dispersed in a suitable enamel or lacquer vehicle.

Example 11 Ten parts of the reaction product of chlorosulfonated copper phthalocyanine and diethanolamine made following the principles disclosed in Example 8 of U. S.

as the substituent on at least one benzene ring is mixed with 90 parts of a partially chlorinated copper phthalocyanine containing about 4.5% chlorine (about 70% monochloro copper phthalocyanine and 30% copper phthalocyanine). When the resulting mixed pigment is dispersed in a typical enamel vehicle, a coating composition is obtained which is remarkably free of any tendency toward flocculation.

It is contemplated that the pigment mixtures may be made in any convenient manner. In many cases it will be convenient and preferred. to use a small amount of the appropriately substituted phthalic anhydride derivative in co-synthesis with phthalic anhydride in a conventional phthalic anhydride-urea synthesis of phthalocyanine. When the mixed pigment of the invention is made by the co-synthesis from phthalic anhydride and the substituted phthalic anhydride, the latter is preferably present in an amount of between 0.5 to 3.75 mol percent to 99.5 to 96.25 mol percent of the former whereby to produce a mixed product containing between 2 and mol percent substituted phthalocyanine and 85 to 98 mol percent of phthalocyanine normally subject to flocculation. In other cases, it may be preferred to prepare the derivative by direct and controlled reaction of a phthalocyanine with chlorosulfonic acid followed by hydrolysis with ammonia or an appropriate amine. It is contemplated that mixtures of separately prepared phthalocyanines, containing up to one or more sulfonamide groups per molecule with unsubstituted phthalocyanines should be included in this invention. When the separately prepared phthalocyanines are subsequently mixed, they are preferably mixed in proportions between 2 and 15 mol percent of the substituted phthalocyanine to 85% to 98% of the non-flocculation resistant phthalocyanine.

The amount of sulfonamide substituted phthalocyanine which is present in the final pigment of the present invention profoundly influences its behavior in accomplishing the objectives of this invention. When such species are present in amounts below about 2 mol percent the effect is so small as to be hardly noticeable and the pigments do not show an acceptable resistance to flocculation in any vehicle. As the amount of the substituted species in creases, the effect becomes more pronounced and, in the range between about 5 mol percent and 10 mol percent, a definite optimum is reached which may vary somewhat for different vehicle systems. The use of amounts over about 15 mol percent is generally considered uneconomical. Moreover, I have been quite surprised to discover that coating compositions made from suchproducts containing over about 10 mol percent of the substituted species exhibit an effect substantially the reverse of the usual flocculation in that the quiescent enamel is actually stronger than the same enamel after vigorous agitation. Such a phenomenon may be called flooding in contrast to the more common flocculation. Regardless of the nomenclature the two phenomena appear, however, to be closely related in that both are probably a result of a separation, in some manner, of the two pigments in a paint system comprising a mixture of phthalocyanine and a second prime pigment, such as TiO dispersed together in a vehicle, and from the standpoint of the practical application, they are equally objectionable. It is well known that the tendency of a phthalocyanine pigment to flocculate varies markedly with the vehicles used as well as with the solvents in these vehicles and it is possible to exercise limited control over this property by the proper selection of vehicles and thinners, and by the use of anti-flooding agents and the like. Such means of control, however, are only moderately effective and, moreover, restrict the choice of vehicles. Now, we find that by meansof theproper balance of pigments which show a tendency to flood with pigments which flocculate, it is possible to obtain in a chosen vehicle a composition which shows no color change on vigorous agitation.

Hence, the ability to make a pigment which shows some tendency to flood as defined herein is actually an advantage in the.over-all control of flocculation, and we contemplate this invention as including the range of compositions containing from about 2 mol percent to about 15 .mol percent ofthe substituted species. This does not mean that pigments containing more than 15 mol percent of the substituted species would lack utility because they can be formulated into satisfactory products using the technique ofbalancing properties of pigments noted above. Nevertheless,'it is the objective of this invention to make products showing the least possible flocculation and such products containing morethan 15 mol percent of substituted phthalocyanine do not meet this objective.

The methods of preparation of the products of this invention may be more critical in some cases thanin others.

The preferred method is the cosynthesis from a phthalic acid 4-sulfonamide SO NX Mixtures of the sulfonamide-substituted phthalocyanines obtained in other ways with the unsubstituted phthalocyanines are also contemplated.

In this group (.-SO NX X stands for H or for an alkyl or aryl-group which may be substituted. The examples have shown an ethyl (C H group and an ethanol (-C H OH) group in this capacity. However, it is contemplated that many organic amines can react with theappropriate sulfonyl chloride to give compounds elfective in this invention. For instance, butyl amine, dodecylamine, morpholine, aniline, and the like, can be used, or ammonia can be used to give the free sulfonamide.

The conditions ofsynthesis such as temperature, rate of heating, amount of urea, amount of catalyst, and the like, are not'diffe'rent from the conventional commercial manufacture of'copper phthalocyanine. The examples have shown the synthesis conducted in the presence of a deodorized' kerosene as the liquid diluent. However, when deodorizedkeroseneor other high-boiling hydrocarbons are used for this purpose, it is essential that they be substantially free from oxidation products, such as peroxides, which may result from prolonged exposure of the hydrocarbons to the atmosphere, since such impurities frequently function in some unexplained manner to inhibit the formation of phthalocyanines 'in this reaction. Moreover, other diluents previously used for this purpose can be used as, for instance, trichlorobenzene, orthodichlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, and the like. In fact, the liquid diluent may be omitted altogether since its presence does not seem to atfect the course of the phthalocyanine synthesis in any major way beyond maintaining the ma terial in suspension and preventing the severe caking usually found in the absence of such diluents and in functioning as an eflicient heat transfer medium.

The products may be separated from the liquid diluent m a variety of ways. For instance, the major portion may be removed by filtration and the remainder removed by steam distillation. As an alternative, the methods proposed by Barnhard in U. S. Patent No. 2,602,800 may be used, separating the phthalocyanine as a sulfate from the major portion of the kerosene or trichlorobenzene followed by hydrolysis of the sulfate and removal of the remainder of the solvent in the drier.

In common with other phthalocyanine pigments the products of the synthesis methods described in this invention generally exhibit a relatively large particle size and require conditioning by reduction of the particle size for most uses. In the examples, the milling method of Lane and Stratton U. S. Patent No. 2,556,727 has been shown as the preferred method for this conditioning. However, excellent pigment strength can be obtained by the conventional acid pasting method (solution in concentrated sulfuric acid followed by dilution with water to precipitate the finely-divided pigment) or by the salt milling methods of Detrick and Lang U. S. Patent No. 2,402,167.

The invention has been shown as applied to a partially chlorinated copper phthalocyanine as the preferred species since the principal application is in coating compositions wherein the usual solvents frequently cause crystal growth and consequent loss of tinctorial values with the chlorine-free species. However, it is contemplated that the invention is equally applicable to such chlorinefree species and also to the more highly chlorinated species wherein the chlorine has been introduced to alter the shade toward the green. Furthermore, it is not intended to limit the invention to copper phthalocyanine for it is contemplated as equally applicable to phthalocyanines containing other metals such as nickel, cobalt, iron, aluminum, etc., as well as to the metal-free species.

The reasons why the pigments of this invention are superior to the prior art pigments in resistance to flocculation are not fully understood. Many of the properties of a paint, enamel, lacquer of similar system can be explained on the assumption that such a system of finelydivided solid suspended in a vehicle is a lyophilic colloidal sol. The stability of such a sol may be related to the charge on the particles of the dispersed phase, and it is suggested that the introduction of polar groups into the phthalocyanine molecule increases this charge and promotes stability in the system. It is still not understood why the maximum stability is found in the presence of only a limited amount of polar molecules.

The products of this invention are valuable in all uses to which phthalocyanine pigments are commonly put. However, they are especially valuable in the pigmentation of paints and enamels where the behavior of the previously-known phthalocyanines has been especially deficient.

Throughout the specification and dams, any reference proportions and percentages refers to parts,

to parts,

by weight unless otherwise proportions and percentages specified.

Since it is obvious that many changes and modifications can be made in the above-described details without departing from the nature and spirit of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to said details except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A phthalocyanine pigment highly resistant to flocculation in an organic coating vehicle consisting essentially of a mixture of a major amount of a copper phthalocyanine pigment subject a minor amount sufiicient to impart flocculation resistance to said pigment of a substituted copper phthalocyanine in which the substituent is sulfonamide wherein X is a member of the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, and aryl radicals.

2. A phthalocyanine pigment highly resistant to flocculation in an organic coating vehicle comprising a mixture of 85 to 98 mol percent of a copper phthalocyanine pigment subject to said flocculation and 15 to 2 mol percent of a substituted copper phthalocyanine in which the substituent is sulfonamide (SO NX wherein X is a member of the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, and aryl radicals.

3. A phthalocyanine pigment highly resistant to flocculation in an organic coating vehicle comprising a mixture of to mol percent of monochloro copper phthalocyanine, 20 to 30 mol percent copper phthalocyanine, and 15 to 2 mol percent of a substituted copper phthalocyanine in which the substituent is sulfonamide (SO NX wherein X is a member of the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, and aryl radicals.

4. A process for the production of a copper phthalocyanine pigment highly resistant to flocculation which comprises mixing 82.75 to 77.5 mol percent of phthalic anhydride, 16 to 20 mol percent of 4-chlorophthalic acid and 1.25 to 2.5 mol percent of a substituted phthalic anhydride in which the substituent is sulfonamide (SO NX wherein X is a member of the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, and aryl radicals, and reacting said mixture at elevated temperature with urea and cupric chloride until reaction is complete'to produce a copper phthalocyanine pigment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,285,359 Rosch June 2, 1942 2,300,572 Hoyer Nov. 3, 1942 2,526,345 Giambalvo Oct. 17, 1950 2,613,128 Baumann Oct. 7, 1952 to said flocculation and 

1. A PHTHALOCYANINE PIGMENT HIGHLY RESISTANT TO FLOCCULATION IN AN ORGANIC COATING VEHICLE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A MIXTURE OF A MAJOR AMOUNT OF A COPPER PHTHALOCYANINE PIGMENT SUBJECT TO SAID FLOCCULATION AND A MINOR AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO IMPART FLOCCULATION RESISTANCE TO SAID PIGMENT OF A SUBSTITUTED COPPER PHTHALOCYANINE IN WHICH THE SUBSTITUENT IS SULFONAMIDE 